A wave of wintry weather has been sweeping across a host of cities in Europe, leading to frozen fountains in Rome and heavy snowfall in cities such as Istanbul, Berlin, and Moscow.

Some people touch the frozen fountain at Fontana di Piazza d’Aracoeli in Rome. Image by Awakening/Getty ImagesA close of up icicles formed on the frozen Fontana di Piazza d’Aracoeli in Rome. Image by Awakening/Getty ImagesA newly married couple walk at Sultanahmet square during snowfall in Istanbul. Image by Yasin Akgul/Getty ImagesChildren walk in Red Square in – 28 degree weather in Moscow, Russia. Image by Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Cities in north America also saw the seasonal change, with New York City experiencing its first proper snow day of 2017. Some locals and tourists took to parks across the city to ski and toboggan through the inches of fresh snowfall brought in by winter storm Helena.

Children and adults sled in a Brooklyn park during the first proper snow day of 2017. Image by Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesNew York City received up to five inches of snow in a surprise storm on Saturday. Image by Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesA dog sleeps in the snow at the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque) district during snowfalls in Istanbul. Image by Ozan Kose/Getty ImagesSnowfalls in Sammichele di Bari, near Bari in the Puglia region in the south of Italy. Image by Beppe Gasparro/Getty Images

The cold weather is expected to continue across Europe and America, with meteorologists predicting that the freezing temperatures will pass over the UK and Ireland within the next few weeks.

Get inspired to travel everyday by signing up to our daily newsletter.

I want emails from Lonely Planet with travel and product information, promotions, advertisements, third-party offers, and
surveys. I can unsubscribe any time using the unsubscribe link at the end of all emails. Contact Lonely Planet here. Lonely Planet Privacy Policy.